Observations

The Jets penalty kill looked very vulnerable Friday night. That could be due to the score and the Jets not feeling the same urgency to score as usual, or it could be a further indication of a bit of a regression for this unit. They have been giving up more chances as a unit lately, so we will see later this week if they are becoming more vulnerable to exposure.

The second line of Jokinen, Kane and Setoguchi had a fantastic night against the Preds. Even as the game turned to a defense-first mentality, that grouping did great work to make sure the chances against them were minimalized. I can’t help but wonder how the Jets would have done if Jokinen could have played at this level any of last year.

Grant Clitsome and Dustin Byfuglien were once again victimized as the Jets worst defensive pairing on the evening. I didn’t think Buff played bad, but I just don’t see these two working out as any type of shut down pair.

Three power play opportunities, one chance for. It’s actually just a joke now.

The third line wasn’t able to generate much offensively, but they were used pretty heavily to help protect the lead that the Jets had built up. These are the kinds of games that should show the benefit Mark Scheifele has while playing alongside Frolik. I still am not a huge fan of it, but they will help him to learn proper shut down play.

Final Thought

The Jets play the San Jose Sharks tonight, a team that is among the best when it comes to puck possession. The Jets need to play a solid defensive game if they want to compete with them, and limiting the scoring chances against will go a long way in getting a win.

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